Queer cinema tells the stories, experiences, and lived realities of queer people—often outside of normative expectations and social structures. In doing so, it frequently challenges cinematic conventions and develops its own, subversive visual languages.
Image gallery
›Rafiki‹ Kenia 2018, Regie: Wanuri Kahiu
›Coming out‹ DDR 1989, Regie: Heiner Carow
Orlando, meine politische Biografie, F 2023, paul B. Preciado
Orlando, meine politische Biografie, F 2023, Paul B. Preciado
›Taxi zum Klo‹ BRD 1980, Regie: Frank Ripploh
The exhibition centers on films and film professionals: filmmakers, festival organizers, cinema operators, and film distributors who have shaped and continually reinvented queer cinema in Germany since the 1970s.
A focus is on Berlin as a hub of queer film and subculture, expanded by the perspectives of international artists.
On display are film and photo installations, objects, documents, and other archival materials—including, for the first time, holdings from the archives of the Salzgeber film distribution company.
A prologue featuring early examples from the 1910s from the collection of the Deutsche Kinemathek sets the historical context.
Dedicated sections explore the role of television. The exhibition is presented in the Halle, the Schaltwerk, and the Studiokino. An extensive film series and events accompany the program.
“Inventing Queer Cinema” tells a story of resistance, solidarity, and innovation that extends into the present day. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect further on this history and to continually rediscover queer cinema.
